ABC issues news releases on the latest workforce, policy and industry issues, as well as construction-related economic data and trends. Commercial and industrial construction economic analyses include federal data on construction spending, employment, GDP and the Producer Price Index, as well as state-by-state construction unemployment estimates.

In addition, ABC produces the Construction Backlog Indicator, the only economic indicator that reflects the amount of work that will be performed by commercial and industrial construction contractors in the months ahead, and the Construction Confidence Index, a diffusion index that signals construction contractors’ expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels. ABC construction economic releases are published according to this schedule.

Health Care Law Continues to Create Uncertainty and Confusion in the Construction Industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the eve of the third anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today said the health care law continues to create uncertainty and confusion in the construction industry, making it difficult for the nation’s contractors to plan for the future.

“ABC members have major concerns about how to implement the employer mandate provisions of the health care law,” said ABC Vice President of Government Affairs Geoff Burr. “The provisions are complex and confusing, and significant employer education is needed.

“Because the health care law forces employers to offer government-prescribed health insurance, ABC members will no longer have the choice or flexibility to structure health care coverage options that meet the needs of their fluctuating workforce,” Burr stated. “The resulting increased costs will jeopardize the ability of ABC member companies to maintain affordable coverage options for their employees and force some to drop coverage altogether.

“Taxes included in the health care law, such as the Medicare taxes on wages and investment, are another burden on our members,” said Burr. “Combined with the 39.6 percent top bracket created by the American Taxpayer Relief Act, these surtaxes yield a 25 percent gap between the rates paid by smaller businesses and those enjoyed by the country’s largest corporations.

“Providing quality health care benefits is a top priority for ABC and its member companies,” Burr said. “ABC believes true reform should provide greater choice and affordability and allow private insurers to compete for business. Unfortunately, the health care law fails to lower costs while imposing new taxes, as well as costly and burdensome federal government mandates on the construction industry.”
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national trade association with 72 chapters representing 22,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms. Visit us at www.abc.org.